Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis presents a palaeotopographic reconstruction of the Burleigh Bay region of Stony Lake (Kawartha Lakes Region, Ontario) from 12,600 cal BP to present. The paleotopographic reconstructions are used to model paleoshoreline locations and archaeological site potential for the Late Paleoindian and early Archaic periods. Isostatic rebound following the end of the last glacial period… more
Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The objective of this thesis is to create a foundation for a digital comparative collection of chert types found on archaeological sites in Ontario, both local and non-local varieties, and to evaluate the impact of a digital reference collection on the confidence and accuracy of the user in comparison to hard copy guides or hand samples that are more often traditionally used. Spatial and… more
Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The Kawartha Lakes region of south-central Ontario is dominated by water bodies and rivers, where humans are known to have lived since at least 10,500 years ago, only shortly after the retreat of glaciers from the region. Since this time, water levels within the region have changed dramatically as a result of various geophysical, climatological, and human-induced-phenomenon, leaving… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Within the complex socio-ecological systems of South and Southeast Asia, ancient sacred natural sites were created by, and imbued with, cultural and ideological values. These landscapes are liminal spaces or threshold environments between cultivated areas and wilder spaces; the practice of creating and maintaining them persists from ancient to modern times. This thesis examines sacred… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This study examines foraging strategies during the Middle Woodland Period's Sandbanks Phase (A.D. 700–1000) on Boyd Island, Pigeon Lake, Ontario. The faunal remains analyzed in this study were recovered from a site associated with the procurement of aquatic and terrestrial taxa. Detailed taphonomic analyses have revealed that the Boyd Island faunal remains were affected by… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This research is an ethnographic investigation into the relationships between the Stélida Naxos Archaeological Project and the local population of Vivlos, the region where the team takes their seasonal residence during their annual archaeological field season. Fieldwork in Vivlos revealed the local peoples' interest in archaeology, local legends, and Greek history. The people's… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Archaeological faunal data, historic records and documents and recent biological data are used to construct a historical ecology for Pigeon Lake, Ontario, focusing on fish exploitation. The faunal collections of twelve archaeological sites in the Kawartha Lakes are reviewed to examine pre-contact Indigenous fishing trends and comment on the historic presence, abundance and range of a… more
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The Huns are one of the most misunderstood and mythologized barbarian invaders encountered by the Roman Empire. They were described by their contemporaries as savage nomadic warriors with superior archery skills, and it is this image that has been written into the history of the fall of the Western Roman Empire and influenced studies of Late Antiquity through countless generations of… more
Year: 2017, 2017
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The Neolithic Period (c. 6200 – 4900 BC) in the Struma River Valley led to numerous episodes of cultural diversification. When compared with the neighbouring regions, the ecological characteristics of the Struma River Valley are particularly heterogeneous and the Neolithic populations must have adapted to this distinctive and localized ecological setting. It then becomes reasonable to… more
Year: 2016, 2016
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis analyzes variability in a sample (n=302) of late Paleoindian Hi-Lo points from Ontario and New York. Biface variability is recorded using landmark geometric morphometrics. Raw material data is used to assess Hi-Lo toolstone usage patterns and the impact of raw material constraints on manufacture. Statistical analyses are used to assess patterning of variability in space.… more
Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The principle aim of this thesis is to evaluate the applicability of the Goldstein/Kelly hypothesis, which proposes that hunter-gatherer cemeteries emerge as a product of resource competition, and function to confirm and maintain ancestral ties to critical resources. My evaluation centres on a case study of the earliest known cemeteries of the middle Trent Valley, Ontario. To determine… more
Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The objective of this thesis is to document and characterize the raw material and technological organization of a Late Archaic assemblage from Jacob Island, 1B/1C area (collectively referred to as BcGo-17), Peterborough County, Kawartha Lakes, Ontario. The purpose of this research is to gain a greater understanding of the Late Archaic period in central Ontario; particularly information… more
Year: 2014, 2014
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Schmidt, Jodi Lee, Thesis advisor (ths): Keenleyside, Anne, Degree committee member (dgc): Williams, Jocelyn, Degree committee member (dgc): Conolly, James, Degree committee member (dgc): Garvie-Lok, Sandra, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>This study analyses deciduous dental pathology and stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes to investigate the relationship between dietary composition, feeding practices, and oral health in a subadult skeletal sample from the Greek colonial site of Apollonia Pontica, Bulgaria (5th to 3rd century BC). Stable isotope analysis of 74 bone collagen samples indicates that weaning began between the… more
Year: 2014, 2014
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This study uses the zooarchaeological record to examine the range of activities represented in Late Archaic period samples excavated from Jacob's Island -1B, in the Trent-Severn Waterway region in Ontario. Radiocarbon dates from sixteen features were used to establish a chronology of site use and occupation. The faunal remains analyzed in this study were recovered from seven dated… more
Year: 2014, 2014
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Beales, Eric John, Thesis advisor (ths): Conolly, James, Degree committee member (dgc): Fox, William, Degree committee member (dgc): MacDonald, Robert, Degree committee member (dgc): Fitzsimons, Rodney, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>This thesis centers on analyzing the spatial, temporal, and ecological patterns associated with the introduction of maize horticulture into Southern Ontario - contextualized against social and demographic models of agricultural transition. Two separate analyses are undertaken: a regional analysis of the spread of maize across the Northeast using linear regression of radiocarbon data and… more
Year: 2014, 2014
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Savage, Daniel Jay, Thesis advisor (ths): Dubreuil, Laure, Degree committee member (dgc): Conolly, James, Degree committee member (dgc): Fitzsimons, Rodney D., Degree committee member (dgc): Williams, Jocelyn, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Grooved stones first appear in the Southern Levant with the development of the Natufian culture (~15,000 - 12,000 BP). These tools come in a variety of shapes and sizes; however, they share in common the presence of an intentionally manufactured groove. This thesis focuses on a few types of grooved stones, specifically, those which are often considered to be straighteners for arrow-… more
Year: 2014, 2014
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Falconer, Christa, Thesis advisor (ths): Fitzsimons, Rodney D., Degree committee member (dgc): Conolly, James, Degree committee member (dgc): Williams, Jocelyn, Degree committee member (dgc): Smith, Robert A., Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Mortuary remains comprise a large part of the archaeological record for the Late Bronze Age in the Aegean. By the Palatial period, chamber tombs became the most common burial type on the Mycenaean Mainland, with their popularity continuing into the Postpalatial period. In addition, a single chamber tomb could be reused for as many as ten generations, resulting in large collections of… more
Year: 2014, 2014
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Davidson, Jamie Lee, Thesis advisor (ths): Conolly, James, Degree committee member (dgc): MacDonald, Robert I, Degree committee member (dgc): Munson, Marit, Degree committee member (dgc): Jamieson, Susan, Degree committee member (dgc): Fox, William, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>This thesis seeks to understand the influences of environmental variables on site location selection during the Late Woodland period (ca. A.D. 1000-1650) in south-central Ontario, specifically variables considered to be favourable to maize agriculture. Four analyses were undertaken: a geographic information system (GIS) comparative analysis of Late Woodland sites compared to random… more
Year: 2014, 2014
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Pond, Robin Simon, Thesis advisor (ths): Conolly, James, Degree committee member (dgc): Lohmann, Roger I, Degree committee member (dgc): Chan-Reynolds, Michael, Degree committee member (dgc): Fox, William, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Flaked stones tools are the oldest and longest persisting human cultural remains. Some of these tools were made by hominins who were not anatomically or cognitively modern. My thesis uses an eye-tracking device, developed by psychology, to study modern day novice and expert tool making. By comparing these two groups I was able to characterize the behaviours that lead to successful flake… more
Year: 2014, 2014
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Least cost path analysis is considered by many scholars as being a good proxy for studying movement and interactions between sites in the landscape. Although it is widely used, there are many limitations and challenges yet to be overcome concerning the reliability of the results. The examples used from the Göksu Valley during the late Roman Imperial rule emphasize the need to clearly… more